


Chase Away the Cold

by StevetheIcecube



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Romantic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, Suggestive language, Warming Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevetheIcecube/pseuds/StevetheIcecube
Summary: Tantal is cold and everything is miserable for Mòrag. Brighid seeks to eliminate at least one of these.-“It’s so fu-” Mòrag took a glance at Poppi, who was looking directly at her, waiting for her to speak, and she quickly reconsidered her words. “It’s rather cold, isn’t it?” Brighid let out a quiet laugh, clearly picking up on what she’d been about to say, and Mòrag gave her a look. She would not corrupt someone as innocent as Poppi.





	Chase Away the Cold

“It’s so fu-” Mòrag took a glance at Poppi, who was looking directly at her, waiting for her to speak, and she quickly reconsidered her words. “It’s rather cold, isn’t it?” Brighid let out a quiet laugh, clearly picking up on what she’d been about to say, and Mòrag gave her a look. She would not corrupt someone as innocent as Poppi.

“Genbu is a cold titan,” Pandoria explained. “There’s a lot of snow.”

“It’s awful,” Mòrag said, pulling her coat closer around her. Never before had she been too cold in her uniform. As the snow fell, her uniform started to get unbearably sodden, clinging to her legs and chest and making her feel like she was wading, not walking. It was times like this when she felt sorry for Tora.

“Tora’s feet are cold!” He complained for the sixth time. Mòrag didn’t tell him to ‘shut up, we’re all cold’, but she sorely wanted to. Without a moment of hesitation, Poppi picked Tora up off the snow-covered ground, and he immediately started complaining again. “That not what Tora meant! Poppi put Tora down!”

“No, masterpon,” she said. Mòrag had a deep amount of respect for Poppi’s casual disrespect of her driver, especially considering the way Tora had designed her. “Complaints of cold feet make all ears complain.”

Zeke let out a snort of laughter. “We’re going to have to get you lot some warmer clothes in Theosoir,” he said. “You’re really not used to the cold, are you?”

“I am, sort of!” Rex protested. “I lived on Gramps’ back for quite a bit, and that was pretty exposed to the elements. There wasn’t constant snow, though, just sometimes in winter.”

“Gormott gets snow in winter too,” Nia said. “Well, some winters, not all. But it’s not winter at the moment, it’s bloody spring! So I’m not dressed for stupid snow.”

“It didn’t even snow in Gormott this winter,” Mòrag said. “In fact, spring thaws came earlier than expected and the weather at the moment is very mild. As such I’m not exactly dressed for the weather. There hasn’t been snow in Mor Ardain for my entire lifetime.”

“There hasn’t been snow on Mor Ardain for over fifty years,” Azurda said. “And it has been far longer since it settled on the ground, and I don’t believe it was ever quite like Tantal. It’s been warm for as long as I’ve known about it, anyway.”

“We’ll have to get you all proper coats,” Zeke said. “Or you’ll all freeze out here.”

“Don’t you need a coat as well?” Rex asked.

“Nah, I’m used to it,” he said, puffing his chest out slightly. Mòrag noticed that the tips of his fingers didn’t have any blood in them, but she didn’t say anything. If Zeke was content to be a fool, she would let him, but if he refused to buy himself a coat when they were actually there she might have to insist. She couldn’t have him getting frostbite out in the field.

“If you say so,” Rex said with a shrug, clearly completely oblivious to the fact that no one could just get used to this cold. It wasn’t possible for humans to withstand weather like this for sustained periods of time.

After another couple of minutes of walking along, Mòrag felt her left side get warmer, and looked over from watching the cliffside for birds to see Brighid walking much closer beside her. “How are you doing?” She asked.

“It’s cold,” she noted, and Brighid laughed (Mòrag’s heart definitely didn’t skip a beat at that, absolutely not, she was far more professional than that). “I’m looking forward to getting somewhere warm and not moving for several hours.”

Of course, apparently that wasn’t meant to be. Because nothing good ever happened to their group and nothing could ever be convenient or comfortable in any measure. The moment they entered the city, the suspicious locals practically refused to sell them anything so they didn’t manage to grab any coats, and then they were thrown in prison. And then the Tantalese king tried to kill Pyra, and after all of that they only had a couple of hours to save the titan before they ended up being crushed by the pressure.

It was only after all of that was done and they trudged back to Theosoir, defeated and injured, that Mòrag realised that the chill was seeping into her bones. There were no words to describe how cold and exhausted she was. She felt ready to keel over, and she was sure that only the sight of Rex unconscious, carried by Wulfric, was keeping her awake right now. They had to make it through this, because whatever they did next was their only shot at saving the world.

“Brighid?” She called. Everyone looked over at her, but they looked away when Brighid made her way over. “I’m very cold. How are you doing?” By very cold, she meant the exposed skin of her hands had started to take on a blue hue. It was unnerving.

Brighid glanced around and then took Mòrag’s hand in hers. “I’m doing fine,” she said. “The snow isn’t as heavy as it was earlier so there isn’t too much melting on me now.” Gently, she rubbed the back of Mòrag’s hand until there was a little more feeling in it. Without saying a word, Mòrag moved her other hand so Brighid could warm that up too. If it were just the two of them walking through the snow, Brighid would put her arm around Mòrag’s waist and walk with their bodies pressed together so she wasn’t so cold anymore. The problem was, they weren’t alone, and while Mòrag owed a lot to these people (the image of Niall on the ground haunted her every time her mind drifted and thinking of it now made her heart twist painfully in her chest), she didn’t trust them, especially Zeke, with the knowledge of her intimacy with her blade.

As it was, she made it back to Theosoir with only her hands being intermittently warmed whenever they were both sure no one was watching. Zeke mentioned that they should report back to the king to tell him what had happened, but no one actually made a movement to do that. They just all dragged themselves over to the inn and practically fell into bed. And that was when Mòrag could finally relax.

Without even a second of hesitation, the moment the door clicked shut behind them, Brighid wrapped her arms fully around Mòrag’s body and held her close. “I was so worried down there,” she said. “That did not seem like a situation we’d get out of. And if I’d returned to my core...the likelihood is I never would have been awakened again.”

“I know,” she managed, squeezing Brighid tighter. Brighid was always so worried about forgetting, and losing herself once more to time, and coming back only to find that the world was again so much darker and sadder. “I’m sorry it turned out like that. But we’re alive.”

“Yes,” she said, leaning back before capturing Mòrag’s lips in a kiss. She was being quite forceful, but Mòrag didn’t mind. It made her feel less numb after everything that had happened. Brighid knew she had a tendency to block everything off and not process it, and she was trying to remind her she was allowed to feel. “We’re alive, the pair of us, and we have a bedroom to ourselves and you need to get warm.”

Mòrag smiled slyly. “Oh yes, that reminds me,” she said, pressing a small kiss to the tip of Brighid’s nose. “I need to buy some clothes more suited to the weather. Do you wish to come with me?”

“In the morning, if you please, Lady Mòrag,” she said, hooking two fingers under Mòrag’s chin and tilting her head up gently to meet her lips in a kiss again. This one was gentler but no less fierce than the first, and Mòrag could feel Brighid slowly pushing her away from the room’s door and towards the bed. Somehow, in her haze, she’d managed to book the pair of them a single room. Tonight was going to be cosy.

“At least have the decency to get my wet clothes off me first,” Mòrag said, twisting out of Brighid’s arms and lightly making her way across the room. Brighid made a small noise of clear annoyance.

“Oh Mòrag, I thought you’d be cold without your clothes,” she said, stepping back towards her and moving to snatch her hat from her head.

“I think clothes drenched in icy water are worse,” Mòrag said, fumbling with the ties and buttons of her coat. Normally this was as easy as breathing for her, but her hands were still recovering from nearly falling off and she was practically shaking from exhaustion. Honestly, she didn’t think she could play this game with Brighid tonight.

“Let me do that,” Brighid said, and Mòrag nodded, moving her trembling hands from her clothes. Brighid sidestepped her, however, and lifted her clean off the ground. Mòrag was honestly rather too exhausted to do more than let out a squawk of protest.

“Unhand me, Brighid!” She said, but at the same time she moved to put an arm around Brighid’s upper back to steady herself. Brighid sat down on the bed, her back against the wall, and arranged Mòrag in her lap before undoing and pulling off her coat, trousers, and shirt, leaving her in only her undershirt, but she wasn’t cold.

It was a lot warmer in the room now, and as the aftermath of her will to just keep going to live through the situation ebbed away, Mòrag found she was very sleepy. “Perhaps this business could continue when we are both better rested?” She suggested, and Brighid nodded before pulling Mòrag in for another kiss.

“I’m sure you’ll need to be warmed up properly in the morning,” she said, the small smile Mòrag loved so much gracing her face. She was probably already thinking about all the things she’d do to Mòrag when she woke up.

“Of course,” she said, settling down under the thick blankets and letting Brighid curl around her back. She relaxed into the warmth and closed her eyes, feeling so much better than she had less than fifteen minutes before. “Goodnight Brighid.”

“Sleep well, my love.” Mòrag smiled softly at her words, and managed to drift into a thankfully easy, deep sleep.


End file.
